3 Assets to Watch: April 27 - May 1
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It's gonna be a massive week for markets!
Already, the start of a new trading week has once again brought fresh headlines surrounding the Middle East conflict.
Markets are currently mulling an Axios news report of an interim deal signaled by Iran that could see the Strait of Hormuz re-opened.
On this week's agenda ...
Latest twists surrounding the Iran war + 4 major central bank rate decisions + Big Tech earnings
Here's the breakdown ...
TUESDAY, April 28:
Bank of Japan (BoJ): no rate hike expected this week; 65% odds for a hike in June
WEDNESDAY, April 29
Federal Reserve (Fed): no rate change expected in 2026; 1-in-3 chance of a rate CUT by December
This is set to be Jerome Powell's final FOMC meeting as Fed Chair, before he steps down mid-May and will likely be replaced by Kevin Warsh.
READ MORE (published Apr 21): Who's the new Fed Chair?
Alphabet earnings (after US markets close): markets predict a 4.6% up/down post-earnings move for its share price
Microsoft earnings (after US markets close): markets predict a 5.2% up/down post-earnings move for its share price
Amazon earnings (after US markets close): markets predict a 5.9% up/down post-earnings move for its share price
Meta earnings (after US markets close): markets predict a 6.8% up/down post-earnings move for its share price
THURSDAY, April 30
European Central Bank (ECB): no rate hike expected this week; 84% odds for a hike in June
Bank of England (BoE): no rate hike expected this week; 73% odds for a hike in June
Apple earnings (after US markets close): markets predict a 3.2% up/down post-earnings move for its share price
3 Assets to Watch:
1) NAS100 to push further into record territory?
Last Friday (Apr 24), the NAS100 secured its:
first ever daily close above the psychologically-important 27,000 level
4th straight weekly advance
longest streak of weekly gains since July 2025.
Today (Mon, Apr 27), this tech-heavy US stock index has punched even higher to set a new record high!
POTENTIAL SCENARIOS:
UPSIDE: Another weekly advance of 2.6% could see the NAS100 touching the 28k level for the first time in its history. Such gains may require better-than-expected Big Tech earnings this week, along with further de-escalation in the Iran war, with the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz appearing likelier.
DOWNSIDE: NAS100 could retest the 26,200 previous resistance-turned-support level, also around its 14-day simple moving average (SMA) for critical support if a swift tide of risk aversion sweeps through global markets, perhaps triggered by shockingly disappointing Big Tech results or a rapid re-escalation in the Iran war.
Ask TradeGPT: What is the Nasdaq 100 index on bybit? Is it a good asset to trade?
2) Alphabet to hit new record high?
At the time of writing, Alphabet (GOOG) is just some 2.4% below its all-time intraday high of $350.60 posted on Feb 3rd, 2026.
Can Alphabet's peers follow its other US tech peers, with the likes of Amazon and Intel already posting new ATHs (all-time highs) respectively?
As mentioned above, Alphabet's stocks are forecasted to move 4.6% up/down when markets react to its upcoming earnings announcement, after US markets close on Wednesday, April 29th.
POTENTIAL SCENARIOS:
UPSIDE: Better-than-expected financial results and/or with a robust AI-driven earnings outlook, could see Alphabet climbing 4.6% to post a new record high above $358.00. Of course, further de-escalation in the Iran war, especially if the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz appears likelier, could lift global stocks as well.
DOWNSIDE: Worse-than-expected financial results and/or with a lacklustre earnings outlook, could see Alphabet falling 4.6% and back below $337.00. Of course, a sudden re-escalation in the Iran war, which diminishes hopes for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, could sink global stocks as well.
READ MORE:
published April 24: 12-month forecasts for US tech giants
published April 16: S&P 500 hits new record high! And it's not the only one.
3) Bitcoin to end April as biggest top-5 gainer for the month?
We usually change things up in this weekly preview article, not repeating the same featured assets and instruments from the week prior.
However, given that we're counting down the days till the new month, Bitcoin's performance so far in April 2026 is certainly remarkable, especially amid the Middle East conflict.
Here's how the 5 biggest cryptos by market cap (excluding stablecoins) have performed month-to-date:
Bitcoin has risen 18.5% since the Iran war erupted on February 28th
RECAP:
Last Monday (April 20), we mulled if Bitcoin could hit $80,000.
By mid-week, Bitcoin hit an intraday high of $79,423.50 on April 22nd - within 0.72% of that $80k upside target!
Oh, so close. Hence, it warrants one more chance before we wrap up April 2026.
POTENTIAL SCENARIOS:
UPSIDE: Greater risk appetite may see BTC finally breach $80,000 for the first time since January 31st, 2026 - marking a 3-month high!
DOWNSIDE: A wave of risk aversion could drag BTC to test support around the $75,000 resistance-turned-support region, with its 21-day SMA also potentially offering support.
As Han Tan, Chief Market Analyst at Bybit Learn shared with CoinDesk in mid-April:
[Han] believes a meaningful break above that level would draw sidelined buyers back into the market and potentially clear the path upward to the mid-$80,000 level. However, Tan said such gains would likely depend on a supportive macro backdrop, including easing geopolitical tensions and continued ETF inflows.
Still, it remains to be seen whether crypto bulls can first conquer the $80k BTC test this week.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is provided for general information and reflects the author's views only. It does not constitute investment advice, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments or digital assets. Your ability to access or use any products or services mentioned may be subject to the laws and regulatory requirements of your jurisdiction.